Barge drive



June 11, 1929.

E. T \NARDELL BARGE DRIVE- Filed Feb. 5, 1927 II II II, II ll II I Edward T Wdrdell Patented June 11, 1929.

UNITED STATES EDWARD T. WAEDELL, QF ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA,

BABGE DRIVE.

Application filed February 5, 1927.

The present invention relates to a drive mechanism for river barges.

In the transportation of certain types of freight the time consumed in transportation is frequently unimportant so long as the cost may be kept at a minimum.

An object of the present invention is to provide a barge with a driving mechanism which engages the bottom of the streamer river in which the barge is operated, said driving mechanism being operatively connected with current energized power means mounted on the barge, to drive the barge upstream by the force of the current.

In order to attain this object, there is provided, in accordance vwith one feature of the invention, a barge having a paddle wheel mounted thereon to have its blades partially submerged in the water in which the barge is intended to float. The paddle wheel is connected, through suitable drive means to a caterpillar type traction unit operating on the river bottom.

Float tanks are mounted in the traction unit which may be filled by means operable from the barge to lighten the traction unit and aid it in Sui-mounting obstacles on the river bottom and to float it when not required for driving the barge. The caterpillar drive means are controllable from the barge to steer the traction unit.

An electrical generating device, such as a dynamo, may be operated from the current energized power means through suitable speed. change gears to charge a storage battery, the electrical energy so accumulated being used to drive the barge when there is not a sufficiently strong current available for this purpose. Y g

These and other features of the invention, not specifically mentioned, will be more fully brought out in the following description and the accompanying drawings, wherein: I

Figure 1, is a view in side elevation of a barge equipped with driving mechanism made in accordance with the present invention.

Figure of; and

Figure 3, is a View in transverse section on the line 3-3 of Figure 1, showing a braced tube containing a chain driving mechanism and compressed air lines for controlling the traction unit.

Referring to the drawings in detail, a

2, is a view in top elevation there- Serial No. 166,101.

barge A is of a conventional type employed in river transportation and is provided with a pair of paddle wheel support arms 1 connected to either side of one end of the barge, extending outwardly therefrom, and having a paddle wheel 2 pirotally mounted between the outer endsthereof in suitable bearing supports. The paddle wheel is supported upon. a shaft 3, over one end of which is mounted a housing 1- which encloses a sprocket wheel, not shown, of a coi'iventional type keyed to said shaft. The housing 4- is mounted on the shaft 3 to pivot thereon in a vertical plane.

Extending downwardly and outwardly from this housing is a tubular member 5 having transverse bracing and divisional members mounted longitudinally thereof. These divisional members are shown in the present instance (see Figure as a pair of angle iron members 6 and 7 welded together longitudinally at their apices 8 and having their outer edges welded to the interior of the tubular member 5. hilounted in a second gear housing 9 in open communication with the lower end of the tubular member 5 is second sprocket wheel 10 which is connected to a drir'e shaft having driving connection with a pair of caterpillar treads 11 and 12 mounted upon a frame work 13. The caterpillar treads are here shown as being provided with spade like projections 35 which enter and engage the river bottom to prevent slippage. Air controlled clutch means 14 and 15 are mounted to connect the drive shaft to the actuating mechanism of the caterpillar treads. Since the clutch mechanism and caterpillar drive mechanism is of a conventional type well known to the art it is not considered necessary to illustrate in detail this feature of the construction.

Riding upon the sprocket enclosed in the upper gear housing 4: and downwardly through the tubular member 5 and around the sprocket 10 enclosed in the lower gear housing 9 is a flexible drive chain, not shown, of a conventional type, the runs of the chain passing through passages 16 and 17, respectively, said passages being formed by the angle iron partition members 6 and 7. Through the otherpassages formed by the angle iron partition members are a plurality of hoses 18 for conveying compressed air from a storage tank 19 located in the barge to the clutch mechanisms 14 and 15 and to float tanks 32 and 33. ,lVhen it is til desired to lighten the traction unit to enable it to surmount a difficult obstruction on the river bottom or to float it to the surface, compressed air is released from the tank 19 through a supply pipe 20, a valve 21, and a hose 18 and is forced into the tanks 32 or 33, or both, driving the water outward and thereby lightening the traction unit.

From the air storage tank 19 the pipe line 20 carries the air under pressure to a plurality of valves 22 which control the flow of air through the hoses to the clutch control mechanisms and to the float tanks 32 and 33 in the traction unit. A compressor pump 23, of a conventional type, is employed to compress air into the tank 19, the action of the compressor pump being controlled by suitable clutch mechanism 24 mounted upon a counter shaft 25, which is driven by a belt 26 from the shaft 3. A combined dynamomotor with self-contained speed reduction mechanism is indicated at 27, the speed reduction gears being of the proper ratio to suitably regulate the speed of the dynamomotor with respect to that of the paddle wheel shaft. Connected to the dynamomotor by conductors 28 and 29 is a storage battery unit 30. When the barge is docked in a current of moving water during the interval required for loading and unloading its contents, the paddle wheel 2 revolves in the moving water, driving the dynamo-motor and charging the storage battery. lVhen the power of the paddle wheel 2 is employed to drive the traction unit to propel the barge upstream, the dynamo-motor is disconnected to permit the entire energy of the paddle wheel to be employed to propel the barge.

In places where the river is obstructed or widened to such an extent that the current slows down to a point where it is insuflicient to propel the barge, the traction unit may be floated by forcin compressed air into the tanks 20 and 21, as previously described, and the storage battery units 30 may be employed to propel the paddle wheel by means of the dynamo-motor 27 acting as a motor. In traveling downstream the traction unit is floated leaving the barge free to float with the current. The traction unit is employed only for propelling the barge upstream and as a means to anchor the barge. lVhen using the paddle wheel as a driving force, or when floating downstream, the traction unit is floated as previously described.

While the construction illustrated and described shows the traction unit connected by a chain drive to the current operated paddle wheel it is not desired to limit the invention to this construction, since it would be feasible to employ a prime mover such as a compressed air or electric motor mounted directly upon the traction unit or upon the barge to employ the motor operated paddle wheel to generate the motive :torce therefor as by operating an air compressor or motor generator. These and similar modifications would be apparent to one versed in the art, however, and it is intended to include them in the scope of the appended claims.

It will be noted that the paddle wheel is of large diameter with long blades, while the gear driving the traction unit is o'l small diameter. By this means the power generated by the paddle wheel is sufficient to drive the caterpillar treads or the traction unit, slowly drawing the barge upstream.

I claim:

1. A current operated drive for boats in flowing streams, comprising a current operated power generator, power transmission means operatively connecting said power generator to a tractive element resting upon the stream bottom, and having pivotal connection with said boat and said tractive elemcnt, a float tank mounted in said tractive element, an air line connecting said float tank with a supply oi air under pressure, and valve means mounted in said air line to control the amount of air admitted to said tank to vary the weight of said tractive element.

2. A current operated drive for boats in flowing streams, comprising a current operated paddle wheel, a drive mechanism resting upon the stream bottom, a pair of belt treads operatively mounted on said belt mechanism to have tractive engagement with the stream bottom to propel'said mechanism on an actuation the'eof, drive means connecting the current Operated paddle wheel to said drive mechanism to actuate said belt treads to propel the drive mechanism along the stream bottom, and having flexible connection with said boat and said drive meclr anism, a float tank mounted in said tractive element, an air line connecting said float tank with a supply of air under pressure, valve means mounted in said air line to control the amount of air admitted to said tank to vary the weight of said tractive element, a motor generator mounted on said boat, electrical storage means operatively connected to said motor generator, and means to optionally connect the paddle wheel to the motor generator or to the tractive element.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

EDWARD T. lVARDELL. 

